


From Set to Match

by Bwahahaha98



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU Volleyball, Armin as the Setter, Erwin as the Captain, F/M, Hange- Setter, Levi being called Senpai, Levi- Libero, Mike as the Middle Blocker, Nanaba as the Captain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-05-27 02:30:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15014687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bwahahaha98/pseuds/Bwahahaha98
Summary: Someday, I’ll make you proud, senpai! Let’s meet in Nationals! That’s a promise!AU Volleyball LevihanHange and Levi are childhood best friends grew up playing volleyball as setters but suddenly they separate paths as Levi moves to another place. As they went high school, they met again in a tournament as they pursued their volleyball career, Hange as setter and Levi switched to libero. They continued to inspire each other as they wanted to play at the National Volleyball Tournament. With their set of encounters continued as they followed their dream, will this set point turn to a match point?





	1. Set 1: Semifinals

**Author's Note:**

> Shingeki no Kyojin is created by Hajime Isayama. I don't own the characters in the story. Inspired mostly by Haikyuu.

_Someday, I’ll make you proud, senpai! Let’s meet in Nationals! That’s a promise!_

Glancing at the volleyball magazine, a 183 m woman caught his attention on the “Must Watch” section that features exceptional high school volleyball players who makes noise on the national high school volleyball tournament that will be held next season.

He is certain that this woman is his childhood best friend, she wears her signature sport glasses.

 _She’s so tall, strong… and uh, grew beautiful_ as he described the woman in the picture, perfectly captured as she was setting the ball gracefully and also captured his heart.

_“..but I won’t lose to her. Definitely.”_

~

He wasn’t expecting that he will see her again in the spring tournament. _Stohess Girls High School_ is having a semifinal game against the top four schools in the prefecture. The audiences are in their favor because they are powerhouse, unbeatable, three years prior. They are called _“The Amazons”_ , they are most probably the representative of Rose Prefecture in Nationals. And his childhood best friend is the setter of the volleyball club, most likely the top pick in under-18 National team of a powerhouse country.

She was indeed genius, strong and valuable. He was comparing himself to his childhood best friend. He, a setter-became-libero, need to switch position, blamed his height for not growing to several meters. He didn’t consider himself weak; he’s just too much disappointed to his height. He was really a skilled setter before, and changing positions in mid-junior high school is a worst choice for him. He is now just a common libero, as he concluded.

His team is seated at the bleachers, waiting for the next game in the afternoon and decided to take a glimpse on the women’s game. He was standing at the front, eating chocolate as they are also preparing for the next game. The crowd became wild as the powerhouse school entered the court, the team’s supporters are loudly cheering for them. Wow, he mouthed, he didn’t anticipate the wild cheers surrounding the stadium. _This is just a semi final game and---,_ he was jealous on the crowd. Never in his game had that cheering squad made especially for a women volleyball team. His team was on the brink of revival, so they don’t have such support yet from the crowd. There may be some relatives on the bleachers cheering for their team, but it was too few.

_“Oi HANGE ZO-“_

He spotted his childhood best friend but before he completed her name, some of her teammates glared at him. Unfortunately, she didn’t turn her head; she was busy pulling the ball rack as they advanced on their respective places. He knew that she heard him, _did she forget me? She was.. Ignoring me?_ He has no idea how what happened.

“Oh, you knew someone from the Amazon!” Erwin Smith, his senior, the captain of his team, was amazed on him; in return, he was embarrassed at the he-called-but-ignored scenario. Before he can answer, his junior asked about “The Amazons” which their captain highly praised the team. He listens when his senior discusses it. Deep inside, he was proud of them, he was proud for his childhood best friend, the setter of the powerhouse team, he was proud of Hange Zoe.

“Hey. You are blushing dude” Mike Zacharias, their team’s middle blocker, interjected him on his thoughts. He was elbowing him, teasing him nonstop. He knew about the extraordinary setter since they joined the club on their first years. He knew that he was inspired on the setter and for him, his inspiration from Hange Zoe drives him to work hard as the libero of the team.

“Shut up or else I’ll kill you”. He crossed his arms, watching his childhood best friend playing on her best in the court as the game began.

Nearly the middle of the set, they are called to leave the bleachers as they have to do warm-ups to prepare the team for the next game. He made a final look on the setter, who just made an unexpected dump attack and they scored again another point. The setter was moved at the back, which means she is going to serve the ball. She made a jump serve, strong enough to earn an ace. The whole crowd was cheering her name, the emcee was shouting her name, and everyone was stunned at her two consecutive scoring.

_Damn, I’m so proud of you, four eyes…_

~

_“HANGE ZO—“_

She heard him. She heard her name from the bleachers but she can’t turn her head; she was blushing. She knew who called her on the bleachers, she won’t forget that voice even his voice became partly husky because of puberty.

_I’m not going to turn my head, not yet. I’m going to see you at the Nationals, as I promised. You better watch me play now at my best. You better do your best and your team, see you at Nationals…_

She made a silent plea to herself.


	2. Set 2: The Childhood Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of flashbacks about the past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AOT is created by Hajime Isayama. Volleyball terminologies at the end notes :)

Despite of discouragement and late conversion, he's a high caliber libero. He was also feared and known by his opponents.

 

Lately, he just realized that his skills in setting are helpful in a full synchronized attack, an attack with uses the full team as attackers/spikers and he will set the ball to the person who has the high probability to score a point. Sometimes, he is being compared to the team's setter, Armin Alert, for giving such sharp and fast sets. Armin manages smart combination plays and strategies that makes him different from Levi. Overall, if their skills were multiplied, their team is the hardest one to compete with. This game will be their ticket to Finals.

 

"I forbid you to quit! I'll be guarding your backs so keep attacking!" They are now competing with a powerhouse school, one of the hardest one to play. The opponent's captain establishes the defense of the team, making their defense free from holes.

 

He won't lose to them, to anyone, to everyone. Never.

 

"Another save from the libero!" He managed to secure the defense. He will connect the ball whatever happens, he will live by his name, his position as a libero, his promise to his team that he will protect the floor even his legs fail to move.

 

His teamates didn't fail him. They scored the point.

 

"Levi Senpai, nice save!" his junior, Eren Yeager, praised him for the outstanding save he just made earlier.

 

LEVI SENPAI...

 

"SENPAIIIIII!!!!!"

 

"Don't call me senpai, for Pete's sake! I'm not your senior!"

 

 

 

He remembered Hange acknowledged him as senpai, for he was a better setter at their childhood years.

 

~

 

"He introduced me in this world, Nana! I'm so really happy he convinced me to play volleyball, I found here my calling!" Hange is with Petra Ral, their libero, and Nanaba, their captain. They're having a good time after they won the semifinal game against a powerhouse on their prefecture.

 

"Then, why is your face so flustered, hm?" Nanaba teases her, they know that Hange is very susceptible and they keep on abusing her limit so she can say the truth.

 

"I..I...I mean, he shoo away my bullies! They call me  four eyes, crazy scientist, tree woman...you know what I mean!"

 

"Okay, he's your knight in shining armor. But why you call him Senpai? You have the same age with him!" Petra 's collaborating with Nanaba, she also wanted her friend to tell them her feelings.

 

She began reminiscing her childhood memories, where all of their dreams began...

 

~

 

"Four eyes! Shitty glasses! Tree woman!"

 

She can't move forward. She was standing before the door, hoping that the bullies will get away from her. Another bully  tried to pushed her in order to step away from the door but suddenly, a hand took her, held her hand tightly as the person signaled her to run away from them.

 

 

They ran fast through the corridors, their squeaking sneakers are audible in every step they made. She thought running away is for the weak, but for that very moment, it was a run for freedom. And that person introduced her to his world.

 

His world is a four cornered, wide, fully furnished covered gym. He opened the doors, he wants to show her this world. The nets are hanged through poles, balls passes over the net like a passing through the valley, numbers are changed after the sound of a whistle and people, just like her build, a tree-woman build, jumping  vertically with hands over their heads, diving to reach the ball, catching balls, tapping a ball that was so far from the net. There will be no pushing and shouting at her. This is definitely her paradise. This is her playground.

 

"You're wasting your damn height and brains! "

 

She did watch him as per his instruction. He isn't the boss but he controls the game. He was the brain, he was the powerhouse of the team, he is also the heart. How can he handle such responsibilities?

 

She was purely amazed on what she was seeing. The ball isn't a knife but it kills the floor. They don't have violins and instruments but this is an orchestra. She wants to be that conductor. The instruments are the players. Their speed was tempo. Their performance was the musical piece.

 

He is indeed her angel. An angel brought her here.

 

\----

 

"Uhh, you're such a blushing machine, Zoe" Nanaba tapped her back so hard like she was spiking the ball.

 

"Is that so?I'm just, uhm, proud of him. Really" Hange automatically covered her face, she can't contain the embarrassment she felt as they are talking about Levi.

 

"If he really taught you to be a setter, then why he is the libero like me? It is obvious he's a shorty, oh, I just answered my question" Nanaba held Petra's head, joining her at her laughs

 

"You two are so mean"

 

"You're so protective to him, but you didn't turned your head when he called you. You're meaner than us, Zoe" Nanaba stick her tongue. Their teasing was so effective.

 

"I---I promised to myself than I would face him at the nationals." Both Nanaba and Petra mouthed "ooohh" at her response. "...just to remind you two that we separated from each other at the end of my fifth grade. He transferred schools."

 

The two ladies stared at each other, can't make a joke from their friend's revelation.

 

"You sure are hyped right now, Zoe. Then...make him jealous of you girl!" Nanaba expressed motivation at her.

 

\----

2-1. They won the semi-final bound. _That was a tough fight_ , he thought. The opponents managed to steal a set in the 2nd set before they took the match. One game, the Finals, the most promising fight of the tournament, will be their ticket to secure the representative for the men's division for the Rose prefecture in the Nationals. Their recent game is a historic game for them because after five years of absence from the national podium, they came back again like a dark horse, equipped with his powerful team mates and their supportive coach. Every game they played are memorable to him because it makes him more powerful, reliable and improved. He can't just quit. He can't just give up. He can't afford to lose, especially to Hange.

 

_Hange must have taking a good time in securing their place. They are so powerful to lose to anybody. She was too great._

 

She will be always his inspiration and the same time, his _rival_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late upload, my life's got shitty and a sudden change of events just happened. Undergraduate thesis is killing me now.
> 
> Okay, for those who are not familiar with volleyball, here are some terms!  
> Set- like a round, composed of 25 points to win. In order to win a set, it loser must be 2 points behind  
> Match- composed of 2-3 sets (I used the 2 for the semis and 3 for the finals)  
> Serve-giving the ball to the opponent's side, can score points when the opponent didn't receive the ball properly ( aka serve ace)  
> Play- can be 2-3 way, one will receive the ball (usually by a libero or someone in the back), setters set the ball then spikers kill the ball to the opponent's side  
> Combination plays- composed of 2 or more players, making a "combined play" depending on the skill set of the players to score a point  
> Dump attack- a skill made by setter, can be a 2-way play, "dumps" the ball to the opponent's side instead of setting them to score a point  
> (Designations)  
> Setter- the "center" of the attack to score a point, "sets" the ball to the spiker (Levi [before], Hange, Armin)  
> Spiker- slams the ball on the floor or to the opponent's blocks to make a point. Setter can be spikers, depends on the skill set. There are 3 types of positions of a spiker: Middle Blocker- as its name implies, the "wall" of the defense (Mike); Opposite- can hit the ball across the court despite of its rotation (Nanaba); Open- usually hits the ball in one direction (Erwin, Eren)  
> Libero- the "master" of floor defense (Levi [now], Petra)  
> (Sub designations)  
> Captain- leader of the team (Erwin, Nanaba)  
> Ace- the "scoring machine", most reliable player

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Sorry for the short chapter, I need your comments on it so that I can improve my work and to continue it if it is good
> 
> You are now reading my first story and thank you for reading it!  
> In case you're wondering, this idea of Levihan Volleyball AU is from scientificallyproveness by which is me (I actually deactivated that Tumblr account) and turn this Head cannon into a story.
> 
> I've been a fan also to Haikyuu! and if you are updated on the manga, the theme of the story is somewhat inspired on the TANOKA pairing (OH YESSS) you'll know how the story will go.


End file.
